East Bridgewater Man Facing Federal Child Porn Charge

BOSTON — Federal charges have been filed against an East Bridgewater man in a child pornography case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office of Massachusetts says Daniel O'Connor Jr., 57, of East Bridgewater, has been charged with one count of production/attempted production of child pornography. O'Connor appeared in federal court in Boston on Thursday and was ordered held pending a detention and probable cause hearing on September 17.

According to the criminal complaint, which was unsealed on Thursday, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at O'Connor's home on June 7, 2018. During the search, authorities found two iPhones that belonged to O'Connor. During a search of one of the phones, authorities found images of child pornography.

Prosecutors say further review of the phone revealed 137 images and 20 videos of child pornography. The phone also contained several apps that are popular with young people, including Kik Messenger.

A further review of O'Connor's Kik app unveiled chats between O'Connor and an 11-year-old girl. In the chats, O'Connor solicited and received a number of images and videos depicting child pornography.

If convicted, O'Connor faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.